Mumbai: After a long legal battle, 580 sanitation workers of the Brihanmumbai Municipal Corporation were reinstated in service two years ago. However, they have not been paid their salaries and arrears for the last two months. However, after the Brihanmumbai Municipal Corporation (BMC) assured that the salaries and arrears would be paid to these workers soon, the High Court disposed of the petition filed by the Waste Transport Workers' Union (KVSS). However, it also directed the Municipal Corporation to pay an additional Rs 50,000 to each worker along with the last two months' salary.
Justice Milind Jadhav's single bench expressed serious concern regarding the two-month delay in salary payments to Municipal Corporation workers, describing the situation as shocking. The court noted the workers' permanent employment status but highlighted the failure to pay their dues. In its ruling disposing of a petition, the court allowed for future complaints against the Municipal Corporation if assurances were not met.
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In 1996, the Supreme Court directed the Municipal Corporation to grant permanent jobs and financial benefits to these workers, but non-implementation led the organization to approach the High Court. On November 8, 2023, the High Court upheld an Industrial Court's decision mandating the Corporation to recognize 580 workers as permanent and pay salaries within two months. The Corporation's appeal to the Supreme Court was dismissed, which then imposed a four-month deadline for compliance.
The organization later returned to the High Court, contending the Corporation showed no urgency in fulfilling the earlier mandate. While 217 workers received service confirmation letters, their salaries remained unpaid for the past two months. Concerns were raised about 363 workers lacking confirmation letters or salaries, 77 of whom had died or aged past retirement without compensation.
In response to the court’s displeasure, the Municipal Corporation submitted an affidavit promising outstanding payments for 570 workers and allowing the legal heirs of the deceased to claim dues. The Corporation also indicated that salaries for workers engaged since July would commence monthly from October 2025. However, many of the 363 missing workers remain untraceable, despite the Corporation's advertisement efforts to reach them.
